Best Bibles for Christian Parents

October is National Book Month and I love to read. Most years I read up to 100 books, plus all the children’s books I read to my kids. But, there is one book that I turn to day after day, year after year, the Bible. Below you will find a handful of the actual books you will find in my home… on bookshelves, bedside tables, desks, and even on my kids’ bedroom floors. From my experience, they are some of the best Bibles for Christian parents.

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Best Bibles

It is no secret that the primary resource for any and every Christian parent is the Bible. I like to be going deep and wide in the Bible all the time. For me, that means I read through the Bible chronologically each year, go through the gospels most months, and then dig into a smaller chunk of Scripture weekly or monthly depending on the study. Here are the three Bibles I use on a regular basis.

• Inspire Coloring Bible NLT – I love the New Living Translation. I have been using it since college and it really helpful translation to use with kids and teens. This one is a coloring Bible and that is fun for me when I want to creatively spend time with the Lord in his Word.
• The Jesus Bible – NIV – This is the newest Bible in my collection. Honestly I got it because I needed a new NIV Bible as that is my pastor’s preferred translation and the cover is beautiful. But, since beginning to use it, I love the commentary on it and how it points to Jesus throughout the entire Bible.
• She Reads Truth – CSB – This is a great Bible. My husband and I each have one (he has this one). I love the commentary, devotions, and resources in it. Plus, I enjoy the translation as well.

Favorite Bible Study Aids

• The Bible Recap – I am finishing up my 3rd or 4th year of the Bible Recap. Even though the commentary doesn’t change, God still uses it in fresh ways each year. It has helped me to be consistent in spending time in the Word each day and to know God better. 
• The Daily Grace Co. Handbooks
  • The Theology Handbook – This is a beautiful and simple, yet deep book of systematic theology. It also provides some practical theology, as well.
  • The Bible Handbook – This book looks at the 66 books of the Bible individually. For each book, it covers genre, author, timeline, themes, key verses, keywords, an introduction, and a brief outline.
  • The Bible Themes Handbook – This resource looks at major themes of the Bible through the lens of “Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration” and the Metanarrative of Scripture.
  • The Bible Maps Handbook- This one is broken down by books of the Bible, as well. In each chapter, there is “a set of maps that feature significant locations and the events that occurred there.” (page 4)

Best Bibles for Kids

Our kids need the Bible, too! I do a mix of full-text and storybook Bibles for my kids depending on the situation. If we are doing bedtime stories or playful reading we use the storybook Bibles most of the time. If we are answering questions, memorizing Scripture, curious about what God said about something, or digging into a topic or story, we use the full text. At about 8 years old we started a special full-text Bible with my oldest.

Full-text Bibles

• Beautiful Word for Girls Coloring Bible NIV – My daughter loves coloring in this Bible like I do with my Inspire Bible mentioned above.
• Day-by-Day Kid’s Bible – This is not 100% full-text. It is abridged for age-appropriateness, but has been a great transitional Bible for my oldest.
• Adventure Bible NIrV – This is written for early readers and was the first Bible my oldest daughter picked out for herself.

Storybook Bibles

• Children of God – This is my absolute favorite storybook Bible. I love the length for littles, the prayers, and the art is incredible and diverse.
• Jesus Storybook Bible – This is a beautifully written one, but it can be a bit too long for three and under. The art in this one is great and the depth will challenge all ages (in a great way).
• The Beginner’s Gospel StoryBible – Not only does this one have fun art, each story points to God’s promises. There are key truths and questions for each story, as well. It is also intentionally designed to help you talk about educational topics like counting, opposites, and patterns. I love adding God and his Word to academic conversations for littles because the brain neurons that fire together wire together and it helps us to remember that God is a part of everything.

Is the Bible a Parenting Handbook?

I love the Bible and I absolutely think it is the best way to get to know God and his story. However, unlike some people, I do not think that the Bible can answer every parenting question we may have as we raise our littles. It wasn’t written for that purpose. The Bible does give us guidance, wisdom, and purpose, but it won’t tell you how to potty train or what birthday present to get your toddler. 

The purpose of the Bible is to point us to God and to invite us into his story, the one story that runs throughout all of Scripture. So, if you are looking for a way to know God more and understand your role in the story, the Bible is the book for you. But no matter what, reading the Bible will equip you to be the best parent you can be, even without the potty training and picky eater tips.

If your favorite Bibles didn’t make my list, what would you add as the best Bibles for Christian parents?